Tony Posawatz is replacing Tom LaSorda after only six months as Fisker CEO

After only six months of service and a laundry list of troubles, Fisker Automotive's CEO has been booted from his position.

Tom LaSorda, who was named CEO of Fisker back in February 2012 when founder Henrik Fisker stepped down, is leaving the company, but will still be an adviser. He is being replaced by Tony Posawatz, who was the former head of Chevrolet Volt production for General Motors.

Posawatz has 30 years of experience at General Motors, and was a large part of bringing the Volt from concept to production.

"We are delighted to be adding an executive of Tony's caliber to the Fisker Automotive leadership team," said Fisker. "His depth of knowledge and experience in this innovative field of new technology means that he is one of the world's most experienced leaders in vehicle electrification technology and the plug-in ecosystem. In the long-term, he will ensure that Fisker is well positioned to maximize the potential of not only the Karma sedan, but also bring the Fisker Atlantic smoothly to market."

Last week's incident happened in a Woodside, California grocery store parking lot while the customer was inside shopping. When he came outside, his Karma was on fire and had to be put out by the Woodside Fire Department. There was considerable damage to the vehicle.

There are many speculations as to how the fire started, such as issues with the lithium ion battery (which the company had to recall in December 2011) and the "crowded" engine compartment/exhaust routing method.

Fisker recently confirmed that none of these rumors are true. The automaker has started investigating the cause of the Woodside fire, and while there is no set conclusion yet, it has ruled out those possible sources.

"The area of origin for the fire was determined to be outside the engine compartment," said Fisker in a statement. "There was no damage to the passenger compartment and there were no injuries.

"Continued investigative efforts will be primarily focused within the specific area of origin, located forward on the driver's side front tire. Further details will be announced after a full report is completed."

In addition to Karma-related issues, Fisker has had troubles with its Atlantic hybrid, which may have to be built outside of the United States because of its lack of access to government funds. In April 2010, California-based Fisker Automotive received a total of $529 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for clean vehicles, but in May 2011, DOE froze its loans after delivery of the Karma plug-in was delayed and ended up falling behind schedule. DOE said Fisker did not meet the milestones previously promised, and since then, Fisker has not been able to access the DOE loans.

The loans were also meant to revamp a closed General Motors plant in Wilmington, Delaware for Fisker auto production. So far, Fisker has drawn down $193 million from its loans, but there's a chance that the company may never see the rest of it. In February 2012, Fisker was forced to lay off 26 factory workers at the Delaware plant.

In addition to the CEO shake-up, Fisker appointed Joe Chao to executive vice president and CEO of Fisker China and Asia. Also, Alberto Gonzalez was named vice president of Manufacturing.

Just to bring you up to date, Reclaimer77, the U.S. is now importing MORE oil from Saudi Arabia and the middle east:

The United States is increasing its dependence on oil from Saudi Arabia, raising its imports from the kingdom by more than 20 percent this year, even as fears of military conflict in the tinderbox Persian Gulf region grow.

“At a time when there is a rising chance of either a nuclear Iran or an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, we should be trying to reduce our reliance on oil going through the Strait of Hormuz and not increasing it,” said Michael Makovsky, a former Defense Department official who worked on Middle East issues in the George W. Bush administration.

I'm surprised at the number of people like "Reclaimer77" and "freedom4556" who CHOOSE to use imported oil for their transportation when they could instead use U.S.-made electricity. They CHOOSE to support the Saudis and Hugo Chavez instead of buying American electricity for their cars. Why???